This guide explains how AI SDR uses your Availability settings and Google Calendar together to find open time slots and prevent double-bookings when scheduling appointments with leads.
How AI SDR Finds Available Times
AI SDR uses a two-step process to determine when you're available for meetings:
First, it checks your Availability settings. In Settings > Availability, you define your weekly schedule—which days you're available and what times on those days you want to take meetings. This creates your baseline availability window.
Then, it checks your Google Calendar for conflicts. Within those availability windows, AI SDR looks at your Google Calendar to find times when you don't already have events scheduled. Only slots that are both within your set availability AND free on your calendar are offered to leads.
This combination ensures leads only see times when you're actually free and willing to meet.
Think of it this way: Availability settings define when you're willing to meet, and Google Calendar shows when you're actually free during those times.
Setting Up Your Availability
Before AI SDR can suggest meeting times, you need to configure both your availability schedule and connect your Google Calendar.
Configure Your Availability Settings
Go to Settings > Availability
Select your timezone from the dropdown
For each day of the week, toggle it on if you want to be available for meetings that day
Set your time ranges using the start and end time dropdowns (for example, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
Add multiple time blocks per day if needed using the + button
Use the copy icon to apply the same times to multiple days at once
Click Save when you're done
You can add multiple time blocks to a single day. For example, you could set 9:00-12:00 and 2:00-5:00 if you want to block lunch hours from bookings.
Connect Your Google Calendar
Go to Settings > Email & Calendar
Click Connect Google Calendar
Sign in with your Google account and allow calendar access
Select which calendar you want to use for checking conflicts
Once both are set up, AI SDR will only suggest times that fall within your availability hours AND don't conflict with existing events on your Google Calendar.
How Conflicts are Prevented
When a lead selects a time to book, AI SDR checks your Google Calendar one final time in real-time to make sure the slot is still open. If you've added an event since the lead started the booking process, they'll be notified that the time is no longer available and can choose a different option.
This double-check happens every time someone books, ensuring you never get scheduled for two things at once.
Events on your Google Calendar will block those times from being booked, even if they fall within your availability windows. Make sure any personal appointments, meetings, or focus time are on the calendar you've connected.
How Different Types of Events Affect Availability
Regular events – Any meeting or appointment on your calendar blocks that time from being booked.
Recurring events – If you have weekly meetings or daily blocks, AI SDR recognizes all future occurrences and treats them as unavailable.
All-day events – These block your entire day from being scheduled.
Events marked as "Free" – If you set an event to show you as "Free" in Google Calendar (instead of "Busy"), AI SDR may not treat it as a conflict. To be safe, mark events as "Busy" if you don't want meetings scheduled during that time.
How Leads Experience Booking
When AI SDR engages with a lead and detects interest in scheduling a meeting, it automatically generates available time slots based on your availability settings and Google Calendar.
Leads see messages like "Here are times I'm available:" followed by a list of 3-5 open slots over the next 7-14 days. These slots are shown in the lead's timezone for their convenience.
When a lead selects a time, AI SDR validates it one final time against your Google Calendar. If it's still free, the appointment is created and both you and the lead receive confirmation. The event appears on your Google Calendar just like any other meeting.
Once an appointment is booked, you'll see it on your Google Calendar. You can reschedule or cancel it directly in Google Calendar if needed.
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
No available slots showing
Problem: AI SDR isn't suggesting any times to leads, or your availability appears empty.
Solution:
Check Settings > Availability to make sure you've toggled on at least one day and set time ranges
Verify your Google Calendar is connected in Settings > Email & Calendar
Look at your Google Calendar—if it's fully booked during your availability windows, there won't be any open slots to offer
Make sure your availability times are in the future (past times won't be suggested)
Wrong times being suggested
Problem: AI SDR is suggesting times outside your preferred hours or when you're not actually available.
Solution:
Double-check your Settings > Availability to ensure your time ranges are correct
Verify your timezone is set correctly in Settings > Availability
Make sure the Google Calendar you've connected includes all your events (if you use multiple calendars, connect the one that has everything)
Test how your availability looks by having someone try to book with you
Calendar not connecting or syncing
Problem: You see error messages, or your calendar doesn't seem connected properly.
Solution:
Go to Settings > Email & Calendar and click Reconnect if you see that option
Disconnect your Google account and then connect it again
Make sure you're using the Google account that has the calendar you want to check
Verify you granted calendar permissions during the connection process
Overlapping or invalid time ranges
Problem: You see an error message like "Times overlap with another set of times" or "End time should be after start time."
Solution:
Make sure your end time is later than your start time for each block
Check that time blocks on the same day don't overlap (for example, don't set both 9:00-5:00 and 2:00-6:00)
Delete overlapping blocks using the trash icon and recreate them correctly
Test your booking experience from a lead's perspective. Have a colleague or friend try to schedule with you to make sure everything works as expected.
What You Need to Get Started
To use Google Calendar with AI SDR, you need:
Admin or owner access to your organization
A Pro or higher plan (Basic plans may have limited booking features)
A Google account with an active calendar
Configured availability in Settings > Availability